 Friends...You
Can Count On is an independent, non-profit organization that
raises funds and awards grants for the research of new and improved
methods to help detect
breast cancer early. The organization
believes that by focusing attention on developing a reliable
laboratory test that will detect breast cancer in the body before a
tumor has formed, physicians will be able to successfully treat a
few breast cancer cells rather than a life-threatening condition in
many women.
Mammography is currently the gold
standard in breast cancer detection. Mammography can help
detect breast cancer in its earliest
stages, often before a lump can be
felt. While
screening
mammography
has helped improve the breast cancer diagnostic
process ,
breast cancer can grow for months or even years before it becomes
large enough to be discovered by current detection methods.
Friends would like to see more research devoted to developing
methods for earlier breast cancer detection.
In helping to promote this research, Friends
awards grants to independent researchers. Each proposal is
reviewed by the Friends Medical Advisory Committee, which is
made up of oncologists and other physicians that specialize in
breast health. According to Friends, promising new
research of blood markers and breast fluid may help to detect breast
cancer earlier than current methods.
“I had no family history of breast cancer. I took very good care of myself,”
said Martha Kaley, the founder of Friends…You
Can Count On. “Three months following my annual screening
mammography (which came back ‘clear’), I was wrestling with my
chocolate lab, Sherlock. He scratched my chest. The next day, I felt
something and immediately called my physician. This led to an
exploratory surgery.
“As it happened, the mass I had been worried about was
benign. However, additional exploration of my breast tissue led to
the discovery of an undetected malignancy,” said Kaley.
While Friends enthusiastically supports current research
that investigates new methods to treat breast cancer, the
organization wants to fund separate research that will hopefully
help to one day prevent many women from battling breast
cancer.
According to Friends, an earlier means of detection will
also help:
- Young women for whom screening mammography is not
recommended
- African American women who die at higher rates from breast
cancer due in part to later diagnoses
- Breast cancer survivors, who want to treat any recurrence at the earliest possible
moment
- Women who currently have breast cancer but for whom the
disease is too small at the moment to be detected by current
methods
Friends enthusiastically accepts donations from
individuals and corporations who wish to help fund research into
earlier breast cancer detection methods. Recently,
Dr. Mark Miller of Wake
Forest University Baptist Medical Center received $1.4 million from the National
Cancer Institute to continue his innovative research on breast cancer detection. Dr.
Miller was among the first researchers to receive a seed grant from Friends. Friends has also awarded
seed grants to researchers at Duke University Cancer Center,
University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, the Mayo Foundation,
Georgetown University, and other centers.
Additional Resources and
References
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